Tripod



Nov. 18, 1941. J. G. HOWARD TRIPOD Filed pct. 12, 1940 Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 2,262,938 TRIPOD Julius G. Howard, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 12, 1940, Serial No. 360,984 3 Claims. (01. 248-188) The present invention has for its object to produce a strong, light, attractive and inexpensive tripod that may be collapsed into a short, compact structure and may be extended, when set up for use, to any height required.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tripod embodying the present invention, set up ready for use; Fig. 2 is a view, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, taken approximately on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, namely on a horizontal plane somewhat below the top or head; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, on a still larger scale, showing the tripod fully opened and, in dotted lines, the position of a leg when it stands at right angles to the plane of the top of the head; Fig. 4 is a View of the inner side of one of the legs, showing only a fragment thereof; Figs. 5 and 6 are sections taken, respectively, on line 5-5 and 66 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a fragment of one of the legs at the extreme lower end; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the legs.

Referring to the drawing, I represents a head member in the form of a flat-bottomed frustoconical cup that is positioned bottom side up. The skirt portion of the head member is slit from the rim upwardly at three uniformly-spaced points distributed around the cup, in radial planes and is also slit circumferentially a short distance in each direction from each of the vertical slits to provide three pairs of flaps which, when bent inwardly, constitute pairs of hinge ears 2; the ears of each pair being parallel to a radial plane lying midway between them.

The upper section 3 of each leg is in the form of a light channel-shaped metal bar, whose flanges 4 preferably converge toward each other from the web or bottom of the channel to the open side. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the upper edges 5 of the flanges of the leg members 3 are cut away in the form of reentrant angles, giving them the contour of a flattened V on one side of which, namely that adjacent to the web portion, being much shorter than the other side. Furthermore, the extreme upper portions of the flanges are spread apart more along their free edges than throughout the remainder of the ICE channel-shaped section, being brought parallel to each other. The web portion of the body member of the leg is extended upwardly and then bent or folded over, as indicated at 6, until it rests upon and follows the contour of the upper edges of the side flanges. The upper end of each leg is inserted from the outside between two of the ears on the head and is secured in place by a hinge pin 1 extending through its parallel flange sections and the adjacent ears on the head.

The parts are so proportioned that the extended web section forms a step 8 adjacent to its juncture with the body portion of the Web. When the legs are spread and the tripod set up, this step abuts against the downwardly facing edge at the top of the notch into which the leg extends. Thus, I provide a solid stop to limit the outward swinging movement of the leg and I am able to transmit the load for'each leg directly to the web section and the adjacent portions of the flanges. When a leg is swung inwardly past a line extending through the hinge at right angles to the top of the head, the long wing of the flap 8 strikes against an inside surface of the cup and thus provides a solid stop to prevent the leg from swinging too far in what may be termed the collapsing direction. This latter characteristic is useful in that when the tripod is placedupright and its Weight is placed on a single leg, the head and the leg can move relatively to each other through only a comparatively small angle, and there is no danger that any leg may migrate too far in either direction.

The second section of each leg is in the form of 'a smaller channel-shaped member 9 which fits slidably within the member 3. Each of the members 3 is provided in the web portion with a series of little holes I0 distributed along the same; and each of the members 9 is provided close to the upper end with a yieldingly-held pointed pin II that may enter any one of the openings in the corresponding main leg member and lock the two sections together. In the arrangement shown, the pin II is secured to and projects from a flat leaf spring 12, near one end of the latter. As best shown in Fig. 4, the other end of this leaf spring is inserted underneath a little transverse loop or strand I4 punched out of the web portion of the lower leg section. The spring lies within the channel or trough of the leg member and against the inner face of the web portion thereof. In order that the pin may reach the holes [0 it is set loosely within a hole l5 punched in the web portion of the member 9. Normally the spring presses the pin out through the hole as far as it will go. If the pin happens to be registering with one of the holes II], it will move out into the same, with its pointed end projecting. Now, until the pin is again pushed out of the hole In, it looks the two sections securely together so that no relative lengthwise movement between the two sections of a leg can take place without shearing the pin or mutilating the metal of. the leg. When it is desired to collapse a leg or to extend the same, all that need be done is to press lightly on the pointed end of the pin and then exert a push or a pull, as the case may be, upon the two leg sections. The pointed or conical end of the pin serves as a wedge or inclined plane by which the pin is forced clear out of the hole II! in which it happens to be located, and it remains in its retracted position until brought into registration with another hole in the main leg member. If the relative lengthwise movements are eifected quickly, after the pin has once been released, the .pin will not drop into any of the holes which it must pass in order to bring the leg into the pro-per condition of extension or contraction.

In order to strengthen and reenforce the lower ends of the main leg sections, "I place upon each a ferrule-like part 16 which, instead of being continuous, simply a U-shaped element fitting against the outer faces of the web and flange portions of the leg member and having its free ends I! bent laterally across the long free edges of the main channel-shaped leg memher and then inwardly or downwardly at a distance from such long edges sufiicient to provide room for the flanges of the lower leg section 9. The member It can conveniently be secured by simply providing it with a hole l8 at the middle, and pressing into the web portion'of the leg member 3 an outward projection l9 adapted to fit into this hole. The arrangement permits the member 16 to snap into interlocked relation to the-main leg member upon simply slipping it into its proper location.

There is nothing except friction and the presence of the pin H in one of the holes Ill to keep the lower leg section from being withdrawn from the'main section. In order to avoid accidental separation of the two sections of leg from each other, I have deformed the flanges of the'lower sections adjacent to their long free edges and only a short distance from their upper ends, to produce little bosses or lugs that project into the trough of the'leg member. When the lower leg section is pulled down far enough, the bosses or lugs 20 strike against the upper edges of the inturned portion ll of the ferrule l6 and prevent further downward movement.

As shown in Fig. 7, the lower end of each of the leg sections 9 may be deformed so as to assembled, and especially the lack of machined parts or surfaces, the labor cost of the device is small and, therefore, the tripod can be sold to the consuming public at a very low price.

From Fig. 3 it will be seen that not only do the legs form downward lcontinuations of the conical elements of'the skirt portion of the cap when the tripod i .set up, but the thrust of the cap member is directly against the upper ends of the legs and is not borne by the hinge pins. Therefore, even in the case of lightweight construction, there is no danger of bending the V hinge pins.

- described; but intend to cover all forms and permit a suitable button or foot 2| to be atalthough strong and sturdy, is light and can easily be carried about. Furthermore, because of the manner in which the difierent pieces are arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tripod comprising a head in the form of an inverted frusto-conical cup having three uniformly-spaced wide, deep notches opening through the rim of the cup, ears on the inside of the cup on opposite sides of each "notch, legs extending at their upper ends into said notches, and a hinge pin connecting each leg with the two ears between which it lies, each leg being in the form of a channel-shaped bar, the upper endsof the flanges of each leg being cut away on a reentrant angle, and the web portion 01 each leg being extended at the upper end and bent into engagement with and in conformity to the upper edges of the flanges.

2. A tripod comprising a metal stamping in the form of an inverted frusto-conical cup, the skirt portion of the cup being .cut and bent at three equally-spaced points to form wide, deep notches ,ealch located between a pair of parellel inwardly-extending ears. legs each extending at" its upper end into one of the notches and fitting between the corresponding pair of the ears, and a hinge pin extending through each pair of ears and the interposed leg, eac'h leg having at its upper end a shoulder that engages with the edge bounding the top of the notch in which I skirt portion of the cup being out and bent at three equally spaced points to form wide, deep notches each located between a pair of parallel inwardly-extending ears, legs each extending at its upper end into one of the notches'and fitting between the corresponding pair of the ears, and a hinge pin extending through each pair of ears and the interposed leg, each leg having thereon a part adapted to engage an interiorsurface of the cup when the leg is swung in slightly beyond a position at right angles to the top of the head and another shoulder adapted to engage with the edge at the top of the notch in which it lies when the leg is in a working position.

JULIUS G. 'I-IGWARD. 

